EMULATE THE UK ON ASSET RECOVERY, ANEEJ TASKS THE US AND EU

Benin City, Nigeria…The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has expressed satisfaction with the memorandum of understanding, MOU, which the UK government recently signed with the Nigerian government, to facilitate the return of all stolen funds from Nigeria hidden in forty jurisdictions of the United Kingdom including its overseas territories and crown dependencies. A representative of the UK Government said that the pledge to return the Nigerian loot is a follow-up on the commitment made by the UK Government at the London Anti-Corruption Summit in London in May.
The expression of satisfaction was made by the Rev David Ugolor, Executive Director of ANEEJ, as a reaction to the MOU signed between the Nigerian and UK governments to work together to mop up Nigerian loot stashed in safe havens all over the world.
‘Apart from this MOU and commitment between the Nigerian and UK governments, we urge the Federal Government to expedite action on her own commitment to join the Open Government Partnership, OGP, a commitment made at the London Anti-Corruption Summit. With that commitment, Nigeria has to sign and provide a document outlining how it intends to be open and transparent in government business. If this is done, it immediately sends a strong message to everyone that the returned loot would not be re-looted’, the Rev Ugolor said in the statement.
Part of the statement by the Rev David Ugolor encouraged governments of the United States and Switzerland, and indeed all the countries in Europe wherein Nigerian monies are stashed to emulate the impeccable gesture of the UK in partnering with the Nigerian government to remove both diplomatic and legal impediments capable of stymying the loot recovery process. ‘The UK has already established the benchmark that it would post the MOU it had with the Nigerian government on its website. The Swiss Government as well is working with Civil Society and the Nigerian government to repatriate stolen Nigerian monies. All that the Justice Department of the United States should do now is partner with the Swiss and UK government and the Nigerian government as well, to tackle the legal and bureaucratic blockages involved with the repatriation of stolen monies from developing countries abroad’, the Rev Ugolor added. ANEEJ believes that this kind of collaboration is what would bring about anti-corruption results which are measurable and sustainable.
ABOUT ANEEJ: We seek to contribute to the emergence of a just and equitable African society through socio-economic and environmental rights protection, institutional strengthening and people’s empowerment.